We offer 2 online learning formats. Which one are you most interested in?

Course-Based: Follow our schedule

Tempo Learning: Set your own pace

I’d like information on both

Contact Information

Required

First Name *

Required

Last Name *

Invalid email address

Email *

Please provide a valid phone number

Phone Number *

Required

City

Please provide a valid zipcode

Postcode/ZIP

Required

Country

Additional Information

Are you an active or retired U.S. military currently living outside the United States?

Required

Submit

By submitting this form, I understand and agree that Walden University may contact me via email, text, telephone, and prerecorded message regarding furthering my education and that calls may be generated using automated technology. You may opt out at any time. Please view our privacy policy or contact us for more details.

Required

By checking this box, I agree that Walden University may contact me by email, text message, autodialed telephone call, and prerecorded message at the contact information provided above regarding opportunities and offers to further my education. I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time and that my consent is not a condition of any purchase. I have received the Walden University Privacy Policy.

What It Takes to Be a Career Counselor

With the right skills and credentials, you can help others find the right career.

At some point in our lives, the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” becomes “What do you do for a living?” Unfortunately, for many, the career they end up in is not the career they really want. Some don’t even know what career might be best for them. They just know they want a different job than the one they have now.

They’re not alone. In the U.S., two-thirds of Americans feel no real connection to their job.* Fortunately, career counselors can help. As a specialization within the mental health counseling field, career counseling provides guidance to people who are struggling to enter the career they want or who are dissatisfied in the career they currently have. Career counseling can be a very rewarding job. If you want to become one, here’s what it takes:

Empathy

The top skill for anyone engaged in any type of counseling is empathy. Typically, your clients will come to you in a state of vulnerability. They may feel lost, confused, angry, despondent, ashamed, or any other negative emotion. Working with people who aren’t in the best emotional place requires making a real connection. And that requires showing plenty of compassion and understanding.

Patience

Many clients seeking career counseling aren’t well-versed in the skills of job hunting. Many others have no clue as to what kind of career they want. It takes time to teach people new skills and/or get them to identify a career they can be excited about. In order to provide the guidance these clients need, you’ll have to keep your cool and remain patient.

Tolerance

As a career counselor, you’ll likely have clients from all walks of life. Some, or even many, of these clients may have values and lifestyles different from your own. But your job isn’t to mold them into someone else. Your job is to help them enter the career that’s right for them. You can only do that if you approach your clients with tolerance.

Orderliness

Whether you’re working for a career counseling organization or in private practice, helping people with their careers requires staying up to date on the job market, job fairs, recruiters, career requirements, and more. In other words, in order to make sure you’re giving your clients the best advice and directing them toward the best resources, you have to remain organized. In career counseling, disorder can lead to disaster.

Clarity

People tend to hear what they want to hear. That’s why it’s essential all counselors know how to communicate clearly. To provide useful guidance to your clients, you have to make sure they understand exactly what it will take to enter any given career or land any specific job. You don’t want clients to be confused about the path they need to take or think the path is easier than it will be. By communicating clearly, you can help your clients avoid future problems.

Humility

You will have clients who never get the job or career they want. To be successful, you must understand the realities of failure. And you must strive not to over-promise or allow arrogance to dampen your work ethic. That doesn’t mean you can’t proceed with confidence; but it does mean you need to keep yourself grounded, both for the sake of your clients and your own well-being.

Academic Interests

We offer 2 online learning formats. Which one are you most interested in?

Course-Based: Follow our schedule

Tempo Learning: Set your own pace

I’d like information on both

Next

Contact Information

Required

First Name *

Required

Last Name *

Invalid email address

Email *

Please provide a valid phone number

Phone Number *

Required

City

Please provide a valid zipcode

Postcode/ZIP

Required

Country

Additional Information

I am living outside of my home country

I am a U.S. citizen

Are you an active or retired U.S. military currently living outside the United States?

Submit

By submitting this form, I understand and agree that Walden University may contact me via email, text, telephone, and prerecorded message regarding furthering my education and that calls may be generated using automated technology. You may opt out at any time. Please view our privacy policy or contact us for more details.

Required

By checking this box, I agree that Walden University may contact me by email, text message, autodialed telephone call, and prerecorded message at the contact information provided above regarding opportunities and offers to further my education. I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time and that my consent is not a condition of any purchase. I have received the Walden University Privacy Policy.

Walden Facts

0

More than 90% of Walden graduates responding to our survey say that they are very satisfied or satisfied with Walden.*

We offer 2 online learning formats. Which one are you most interested in?

Course-Based: Follow our schedule

Tempo Learning: Set your own pace

I’d like information on both

Contact Information

Required

First Name *

Required

Last Name *

Invalid email address

Email *

Please provide a valid phone number

Phone Number *

Required

City

Please provide a valid zipcode

Postcode/ZIP

Required

Country

Additional Information

Are you an active or retired U.S. military currently living outside the United States?

Required

Submit

By submitting this form, I understand and agree that Walden University may contact me via email, text, telephone, and prerecorded message regarding furthering my education and that calls may be generated using automated technology. You may opt out at any time. Please view our privacy policy or contact us for more details.

Required

By checking this box, I agree that Walden University may contact me by email, text message, autodialed telephone call, and prerecorded message at the contact information provided above regarding opportunities and offers to further my education. I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time and that my consent is not a condition of any purchase. I have received the Walden University Privacy Policy.

We offer 2 online learning formats. Which one are you most interested in?

Course-Based: Follow our schedule

Tempo Learning: Set your own pace

I’d like information on both

Contact Information

Required

First Name *

Required

Last Name *

Invalid email address

Email *

Please provide a valid phone number

Phone Number *

Required

City

Please provide a valid zipcode

Postcode/ZIP

Required

Country

Additional Information

Are you an active or retired U.S. military currently living outside the United States?

Required

Submit

By submitting this form, I understand and agree that Walden University may contact me via email, text, telephone, and prerecorded message regarding furthering my education and that calls may be generated using automated technology. You may opt out at any time. Please view our privacy policy or contact us for more details.

Required

By checking this box, I agree that Walden University may contact me by email, text message, autodialed telephone call, and prerecorded message at the contact information provided above regarding opportunities and offers to further my education. I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time and that my consent is not a condition of any purchase. I have received the Walden University Privacy Policy.